Re: [at-l] Re: Re yogi-ing hikers

On my section last year, I had a through hiker who was quite superior
to us sectioners. ("I am a very important engine indeed! I will not
pull a little train of toys for children", said the big locomotive.) I
met him heading west in the Smokies, as I was trying to get to a
shelter to complete a 17+ mile day, with the light fading, and the
views off Rocky Top dazzling me. 

"I'm heading North, all the way to Maine!" he exclaimed when I asked
him how far to the shelter. I pointed out the setting sun, the fact
that the AT is W->E in this area, my map, and such. He pulled out an
impressive electronic compass, informed me he was currently walking NW,
I was a clueless section hiker, and (far worse) an a*****e. I wished
him a joyful walk to Springer and never saw him again.

The shelter was another 30 minutes away, in the direction of Maine. It
was dark when I got there.

Bill....

--- Kenneth Knight <krk@mail.speakeasy.org> wrote:
> I've generally found the maps to actually be pretty good. I actually
> don't know why so many people
> bitch at them and say they're wrong and the trail is either way
> harder or way easier than they
> imply. My suspision is that some people don't really know how to read
> the maps, but that is just a
> guess. I'm sure many people look at a profile map and then wonder why
> the trail is going up and down
> so much because on the map it did not do that. Or maybe people forget
> that just because the trail
> follows a contour line on a map that doesn't mean it is flat. It
> could change elevation within that
> line all the time (and often does).  I find the map useful for geting
> a sense of the land I'm in.
> I've rarely had to use the map to get myself un-misplaced. A compass
> is much more useful for that
> purpose. However, a map can be quite handy if I want to take an
> alternate route.


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To:            "Kenneth Knight" <krk@mail.speakeasy.org>, "AT-L" <at-l@backcountry.net>